Music superstar Julio Iglesias, Jr. has signed on to head the cast of the new weekly, one-hour, dual-language television drama HACIENDA HEIGHTS, a groundbreaking new series aimed at a network debut sometime in 2011. Vida Guerra, FHM’s “Model of the Year” for 2004 and multiple international-issue Playboy magazine cover model, also joins the cast of bilingual actors. Hacienda Heights is based on the familiar and popular telenovela format, but unlike most telenovelas, the new series will not end at a predetermined point and for the first time, will be offered in both English and Spanish-language formats which are not dubbed. Each episode is shot in both English and Spanish so that audiences viewing in either language can enjoy the full experience of the show without distraction, and in the original voices of the actors. Thirteen episodes will be shot for the 2011-12 television season. Hacienda Heights is distributed by Trifecta Entertainment & Media.
The new series centers on the trials and tribulations of the families who live, work and love in the fast growing city of Hacienda Heights. The conflicts that arise between the political factions, the wealthy dynasties and the working middle class families are universal and will reflect the times in which we live today. The stories are rich and compelling, and will be portrayed by a talented international cast which, in addition to Iglesias and Guerra, includes: Braulio Castillo, Jr. (El Fantasma de Elena); Alexa Kuve (Más sabe el diablo); Eva Tamargo (Passions); Karla Zelaya (Pepsi Musica) and Enrique Sapene (Control, Livin’ Large, El Alma Herida), along with a large ensemble of young, talented and sexy new faces.
“We are ecstatic to have Julio onboard to head the cast of this exciting new television venture,” said executive producer Desmond Gumbs. “He is a talented and charismatic performer who is sure to have tongues wagging at water coolers each week. And Vida is certainly going to raise the temperature in Hacienda Heights by more than a few degrees. To quote the press release that announced her 10-page Playboy pictorial ‘VA-VA-VA-VIDA!!!!!!'”
The namesake of legendary superstar Julio Iglesias, Julio Jr. is well known to U.S. television audiences as the winner of the CMT reality show Gone Country, and his subsequently recorded and released country single The Way I Want You, which scored a hit with country music stations throughout the U.S. He released his first English-language album in the 1990s, and has gone on to record numerous other Spanish-language albums. He has hosted the Latin Grammy Pre-Show, guest-starred on UPN’s Eve, and competed in Mira Quien Baila (Spain’s Dancing With The Stars). Most recently he just finished production on the short film The Music of You.
Vida Guerra leapt to fame shortly after appearing in the December 2002 issue of FHM. Following its publication, the magazine reported that almost one-third of their mail was from readers demanding more photos of her. She has gone on to grace the covers and pages of numerous magazines, and has appeared on Playboy covers in the U.S., Spain, the Czech Republic and Ukraine. Guerra has been featured in several music videos, including Shake Ya Tailfeather (Nelly, P. Diddy and Murphy Lee), The New Workout Plan (Kanye West) and Obsession (No Es Amor) (Frankie J featuring Baby Bash). She has appeared on Chappelle’s Show and in the film National Lampoon’s Dorm Daze 2.
In 2011, executive producer Desmond Gumbs produced and aired episodes of a half-hour version of Hacienda Heights that aired at 12:30 pm in four test markets — Los Angeles, San Francisco, Yuma and Santa Rosa — with excellent results. In Yuma, airing between CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless, Hacienda Heights regularly bested the B & B ratings performance. Fueled by that success, Gumbs took his vision and re-imagined Hacienda Heights as a one-hour weekly drama.
Hacienda Heights is produced by Chan Add Films, and is filmed on location in and around the San Francisco Bay area. Desmond Gumbs and Dennis Ray serve as Executive Producers. The show is distributed by Trifecta Entertainment and Media.
(Source: Chan Add Films)
